Points Added and Penalties

For the entire class, Lin Yue kept her eyes glued to Professor Flitwick, memorizing every word he said.

During class, Professor Flitwick didn't hesitate to praise Lin Yue, asking everyone to observe her wand movements and listen carefully to her pronunciation of spells.

He even excitedly told everyone that Lin Yue had already completed this school year's Spell Learning and could proceed with Self-directed Further Study.

The studious Little Eagles of Ravenclaw secretly resolved to work harder, eager to surpass Lin Yue.

They were all children of the same age, and hearing the professor constantly praise Lin Yue, it was only natural for them to feel a bit unconvinced and want to compete with her.

In contrast, the Little Badgers of Hufflepuff seemed much more laid-back.

Regarding Professor Flitwick's praise for Lin Yue, they simply expressed exclamations like, "Wow, she's so amazing." and "I really envy her brain; I wish I were that smart."

Afterward, they continued to learn at their own unhurried pace.

The Little Badgers weren't in a hurry. They believed that advanced learning was for Ravenclaw, while they preferred to enjoy delicious food! As long as they could pass the exams, that was enough for their studies~

Of course, amidst the praise, some people did notice Lin Yue's precise, almost machine-like spellcasting gestures and her monotonous incantations.

However, everyone assumed it was just her habit and didn't pay it any mind.

After Charms Class ended, Lin Yue quickly packed her bag and was the first to rush out of the classroom, arriving at the Great Hall at top speed to resume her meal, which was as hurried as if she were cramming food into her mouth.

By the time Professor Flitwick entered the Great Hall to eat, Lin Yue had already finished and left for the library.

As Professor Flitwick was just sitting down at the Teachers' Table, Professor McGonagall turned to him.

"Filius, did you award points to Ravenclaw this morning?"

"Yes," Professor Flitwick nodded cheerfully, looking extremely happy.

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew her colleague well.

While generally gentle-tempered, as a former Duelling Master, he was usually quite calm. To make Filius this happy...

"What's going on? What could make you so happy?"

"Oh," Professor Flitwick waved his hand with a smile, "If a school could successfully cast all the Transfiguration Charms you're supposed to teach her before your first class, I'm sure you'd be just as happy."

"Her?" Professor McGonagall glanced at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. It was these two houses that had Filius's class this morning. She tried to identify the 'her' Filius was referring to.

"Oh, it's Miss Lin Yue from our house," Professor Flitwick said proudly, looking towards his own house's table. "She's right..."

"Why isn't she at the house table?"

Professor McGonagall paused slightly upon hearing Lin Yue's name. The reason was none other than the profound impression Lin Yue's eating habits had left on her at last night's banquet.

"Miss Lin Yue didn't come for dinner?" Professor Flitwick frowned, speaking with a hint of worry.

Professor McGonagall looked towards the Ravenclaw table, her mind forming some guesses.

"I believe you still remember Miss Lin Yue eating at the banquet yesterday evening, Filius?"

Professor Flitwick, reminded by Professor McGonagall, instantly recalled the matter he had cast aside.

It wasn't that he didn't pay attention to students; it was just that Miss Lin Yue's excellence had made him forget this other matter concerning her.

"I think she should have already finished eating and left," Professor McGonagall stated her deduction.

"Alright," Professor Flitwick nodded.

"This afternoon is the first Transfiguration class for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I'm truly looking forward to Miss Lin Yue's performance."

"Hopefully, her performance in Transfiguration class will be as outstanding as in Charms Class," Professor McGonagall said with a smile.

"You could try asking her to demonstrate for you," Professor Flitwick suggested to Professor McGonagall.

"I will," Professor McGonagall nodded.

Headmaster Dumbledore, seated at the center of the Teachers' Table, listened to the conversation of his two colleagues while silently taking a sip of his Pumpkin Juice with double the usual sugar.

Exceptional talent, praise from professors... Well, he couldn't help but think of someone.

However, it was still too early to think of him now. After all, Miss Lin Yue hadn't reached his level back then, had she?

But Headmaster Dumbledore didn't know that it wouldn't be long before Miss Lin Yue's performance would be considered even stronger than that person's at the same age.

Meanwhile, what was Lin Yue, who was being discussed by two professors and "remembered" by Headmaster Dumbledore, doing in the library?

She was in the library searching for the four books Professor Flitwick had recommended she read.

Her gaze quickly swept across rows of Books on the Bookshelf, and in a short while, Lin Yue found the four books she needed.

She expressionlessly completed the borrowing procedures with Madam Pince and then stuffed three of the four books into her schoolbag.

The already bulging schoolbag became even fuller, visibly carrying significant weight.

Slung the schoolbag over her shoulder, Lin Yue acted as if she hadn't noticed its weight at all, striding swiftly towards the Transfiguration Classroom. Along the way, she didn't forget to read the book in her hand.

Pushing open the door to the Transfiguration Classroom, she found it empty. Hogwarts had a considerable break time after lunch.

Of course, this break time didn't exist for Lin Yue. Finding a seat in the front row, she began to continue reading the book she had been looking at on the way.

The noon hour passed quickly, and Professor McGonagall also arrived at the Transfiguration Classroom before class.

Seeing Lin Yue already seated in the front row reading, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but nod in admiration. Every teacher liked a child who loved to learn.

"Good afternoon, Miss Lin Yue."

Hearing the sound, Lin Yue broke free from her state of complete concentration and stood up straight, greeting Professor McGonagall respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall nodded gently. Her attitude was always kind towards polite, sensible, and studious good students.

"I heard from Professor Flitwick this noon about your performance in Charms Class. Perhaps you wouldn't mind letting me know your progress in Transfiguration?"

"Of course, Professor McGonagall," Lin Yue replied in a level tone, taking out her wand from her pocket.

From the most basic Transfiguration Charm to the most difficult one for first-years, Professor McGonagall's eyes grew brighter with each demonstration by Lin Yue.

By the end, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but smile. Just as Filius had said, this child could indeed be called a genius.

Glancing at the books Lin Yue had placed on the desk, Professor McGonagall could tell at a glance that these were books Filius had specifically lent Lin Yue to read.

Adhering to the principle that her own class should not fall behind, Professor McGonagall smiled and said to Lin Yue, "Miss Lin Yue, would you be willing to learn Transfiguration in advance as well?"

Lin Yue nodded immediately without any hesitation, "I would be willing, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall's joy grew even greater. With a face full of smiles, she wrote the titles of three books on parchment and handed them to Lin Yue.

"You can read these books in advance. However, Transfiguration Charms are quite dangerous. If you wish to try, it's best to have me by your side. You can come to my office anytime."

"My office is right next to the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Okay, thank you, Professor McGonagall." Lin Yue nodded mechanically, then turned and returned to her seat in the first row.

Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction. She hadn't forgotten to award Ravenclaw forty points, since Filius had given the child forty points, she couldn't give fewer.

Thus, on this very first day of school, Ravenclaw happily received a total of eighty points, all from the same person.

Similarly, in Transfiguration class, the students of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also heard Professor McGonagall's praise for Lin Yue.

The students of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff unanimously expressed their envy... and after class, they spread the news of Lin Yue's feat of earning eighty points for Ravenclaw in just one day.

The other little wizards, who were already surprised by how quickly Ravenclaw's score was increasing, were stunned into silence upon hearing this. They had also been awarded points by professors, but never such a generous amount!

In response, the professors stated that if they could master magic to this extent in advance like Lin Yue, they would certainly award points just as generously.

Of course, such a requirement was obviously unlikely. Not to mention the little wizards from Muggle families.

Even the little wizards from Pure-blood families wouldn't have their wands until they were eleven.

Before that, they generally wouldn't learn any magic because they were too young and their magic power was not fully developed. Learning magic at that age would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Moreover, the magic power of eleven-year-old little wizards was still not fully developed and was quite weak, barely enough to support them in learning all the spells in the textbooks in a short period.

Only exceptionally gifted wizards, like Lin Yue who had a cheat-like advantage in magic power, could finish the entire first year's magic curriculum just by reading, or even go further.

The Ravenclaw Little Eagles were overjoyed about the eighty points Lin Yue contributed to their house.

So, they repeatedly tried to chat with her during and after dinner to congratulate her.

As a result, they discovered with dismay... they couldn't find any opportunity to talk to Lin Yue.

During dinner, Lin Yue finished her meal in three and a half minutes. The Little Eagles were too intimidated to even try talking to her...

After three and a half minutes, she got up and left, heading straight back to the dormitory to read. They couldn't catch her at all.

Hermione had, of course, also heard about Lin Yue earning eighty points in a day.

After hearing about it, she looked at her plate and muttered to herself.

"Oh my god, oh my god... eighty points. It seems I need to study even harder."

Neville, sitting beside her, silently shifted himself further away.

When Qiuzhang and Marietta returned to the dormitory, they saw Lin Yue already sitting at her desk, reading.

Exchanging a glance, the two of them consciously quieted their footsteps, trying their best not to disturb Lin Yue's studies.

Marietta cautiously glanced at Lin Yue, then walked over and sat on her friend Qiuzhang's bed.

"Lin Yue's study state... it's terrifying."

She didn't even come back to rest at noon, and now after classes in the evening, she was immediately back to reading.

Qiuzhang also lowered her voice and shook her head at Marietta.

"More than that. Yesterday, I got up at 3:30 AM to use the restroom, and she was still studying then. That was 3:30 AM!"

"3:30 AM?!" Marietta covered her mouth, stifling her gasp.

Qiuzhang nodded vigorously.

"Merlin, doesn't she sleep?"

"I asked..." Qiuzhang paused, "She said she sleeps at four and wakes up at five to study."

"Hiss..." Marietta let out a sharp intake of breath and looked back at Lin Yue, her eyes filled not only with admiration but also a hint of fear.

It was terrifying, that kind of desperate drive.

After chatting for a few more sentences and exchanging their astonishment, Qiuzhang and Marietta also returned to their own desks to start reading.

It wasn't without reason that the Ravenclaw Little Eagles had excellent grades; they truly dedicated most of their free time to studying.

Of course, she couldn't compare herself to Lin Yue...

They studied until eleven o'clock, then Qiuzhang and Marietta took turns showering, drying their hair, and getting into bed to sleep.

Lin Yue, however, kept her light on and continued reading, not even changing her posture.

She had already finished two of the four books Professor Flitwick had given her.

The reason her pace had slowed was that the content in these four books was noticeably more difficult than the first-year textbooks.

It indeed took a certain amount of time for Lin Yue to thoroughly understand and master them, but even so, the duration consumed still left her feeling dissatisfied.

Or rather... she subconsciously felt she should be dissatisfied. As for why she felt this way subconsciously, that was a question for whoever had instilled such thoughts in her...

She pinched her own arm hard twice, leaving two bruises, before Lin Yue, expressionless, opened the third book.

At four in the morning, Lin Yue closed the book precisely on time. Before her designated sleep time arrived, she had finally finished the third book.

But still... it was too late. She raised her hand and pinched her arm hard again before taking off her shoes and socks and getting into bed.

Falling asleep with every second counting, she, who had long been devoid of emotion and was extremely exhausted, couldn't even muster a dream.

As soon as the hour was up, she opened her eyes.

Having completed all preparations, including showering and washing up, Lin Yue turned on the light again and continued to read the fourth book Professor Flitwick had recommended.